If The Stiletto Fits
by Maleficent'sConscience
Summary: When the Sheriff finds the former Evil Queen drunk and crying in the street, what will she do? Why, lock her up of course! SwanQueen!
1. Chapter 1

**If The Stiletto Fits**

**When the Sherriff finds the former Evil Queen drunk and crying in the street, what will she do? Why, lock her up of course!**

**Takes place a few months after Cora's death. **

* * *

She stumbled along the empty streets of Storybrooke, her handbag in one hand and a single stiletto in the other. Her stockings were in tatters and her bare feet raw.

She tripped... on her own feet? On thin air? She didn't know. The world spun around and she fell to the floor, hissing at the sharp pain she felt when her knees and palms collided with the icy ground. A soft rumble of laughter escaped her throat and she tilted her head, allowing her puffy eyes to meet the night sky.

"Hello?" She screamed. Her voice echoed through the streets. "Can you hear me?" She was met with silence. "Can anyone hear me?" she whispered.

Tears rolled down her cheeks and a small sob escaped her lips.

"You see what you have done to me Mother?" She cried. "Is this what you wanted?"

She didn't notice the lights flickering on and off in surrounding houses. She didn't hear doors open or see curious heads poke out and gasp at the sight before them. She just closed her eyes and let the darkness consume her.

**SQ**

_This isn't the Evil Queen_, Emma thought as she loomed over the body in the street. _This is just a broken woman_.

The Sheriff had been fast asleep when her phone had rung.

"The Evil Queen is on our street! Save us!" Came a panicked voice. Dread ran through the Sheriff and she shot up from her bed. "I'm on my way." She assured before hanging up. Her phone rang again.

"The Queen, she is screaming and threatening us."

_No, it can't be_. She pulled on her boots and ran out the door.

Emma had been shocked at the state of the Mayor when she arrived. She ignored the 17 missed calls on her phone and clambered out of her bug, sprinting to land beside the mess of a person that lay in the street. A quick once over assured her that, at least physically, Regina was ok. And the smell of alcohol that wafted through the air left no doubt as to how the brunette had ended up in this state.

Emma sighed sadly; she was disappointed once again in the residents of this town. This heap on the floor wasn't a threat, not in the least. She knelt down and placed her hand on the Mayor.

"Regina?" she said softly, receiving a groan as her only response. "It's me, Emma."

"Go away Miss. Swan." Emma almost laughed. Even in such a state Regina still managed to be feisty.

The Sheriff swept Regina up in her arms and hauled her toward the car.

"Put me down this instant. Unhand me Sheriff." She cried, bashing her fists against Emma's chest.

Emma stopped and eyed the woman in her arms. "You think you can walk?"

"Of course I can walk you moron." Regina tried desperately to hide the slur in her voice.

"Ok then." She dropped Regina to her feet roughly and watched, amused, as she fought to maintain her balance. She swayed one way... Then the other…Then stumbled forward, barely managing to stop herself from landing face first in the mud.

"Where's your other shoe Madame mayor?" Emma asked as she bent down to retrieve Regina's belongings.

"Lost it." The brunette replied simply.

"You lost your shoe?" Regina rolled her eyes.

"Yes Miss. Swan. Why do you always find such simple concepts so hard to grasp?"

Emma shrugged, "Probably the same reason you find it impossible to be anything other than a bitch." She smiled sweetly at the brunette before walking ahead to pull open the passenger side door.

"Absolutely not." Regina said with disdain when Emma gestured for her to get in. "I'm perfectly capable of making my own way home. I don't need you being my... My..."

"Savior?" Emma offered.

"I don't need saving." Regina clarified. "And certainly not from you, _Princess Charming_."

Emma stepped forward, pushing her chest against Regina's and effectively backing the shorter woman against the car.

"I'm not here to 'save' your ungrateful ass Madame mayor." Emma spat "I'm here to arrest you on the grounds of public disturbance. So get in there car before I throw you in there."

_That was uncalled for._ She clenched her fists, angry as having let this woman get to her once more.

"You think you're so high and mighty Miss. Swan. With your badge and your title of 'savior." Regina tilted her head up and came nose to nose with the sheriff. "But really you're just scared and pathetic." Emma's eyes remained blank but Regina didn't miss the way the blonde swallowed down her emotion. "You're scared to be a mother, scared to be a daughter and most of all you're scared of being alone."

"That may be true Regina. But I'm not alone." Emma said as she twisted Regina around and pinned her to the car. "I have a family. I have a son." she clicked handcuffs on the smaller woman. "You have nothing. You have no one." She pushed Regina into the car and slammed the door shut.

**SQ**

Regina stared out the window the entire way to the station. She didn't say a word. And if it wasn't for the silent tears that ran down her cheeks, Emma would have thought her words were lost on the Mayor.

"Come on." Emma said softly when they arrived at the station.

The Mayor held her head high as she climbed from the bug and Emma allowed her the satisfaction of making her way into the Sheriff's office unescorted.

"I know you've sobered up, but rules are rules Regina." She explained as she opened the small cell.

Regina stepped forward but Emma grabbed her arm to stop her. She held up a small key at the questioning look she received and Regina nodded softly, allowing Emma access to the cuffs that pinned her hands together. A small click signaled her release but before she could move, she felt Emma's cool fingers run down her arms and brush softly over the red indents on Regina's wrists.

"I might have put them on too tight." She whispered, "I'm sorry." _For everything._

Regina's first instinct was to snatch her hands away. But she didn't. She simply nodded, accepting the apology for what it was. She allowed Emma's feather light touches to continue for a few seconds longer before the sheriff released her of her own accord.

**SQ**

"I think I'm over tired." Emma said. It had been over an hour since she'd locked Regina in her cell, but she knew the other woman would still be still awake.

"You do realize the point of this cell? To lock a person away without having to be here." Regina was laying down in the cell bed.

"You might magic yourself home." Emma leant forward in her chair and eyed Regina with mock suspicion.

"To an empty house? What is the point?"

Emma shrugged and said, "I sleep here most nights anyway."

"You mean to tell me that you leave my son at home with the _Charming's_ whilst you sleep here in this filthy place?" Emma rolled her eyes.

"I'm there when he falls asleep and when he opens his eyes." She explained. "Sometimes I just need to get out of that house. Do you have any idea what it is like to live with Snow White and Prince Charming?"

Regina scoffed. "I can imagine. Everything would be flowers and rainbows."

Emma laughed. "Truer than you know. Snow sees us as this perfect family. But we're so fucked up it is beyond belief."

"There is no such thing as a 'Happy Ending' Miss. Swan. Life goes on, past the first kiss and the wedding. Even without my… Interference… Life would not be some Fairy Tale for your family." Regina's voice was softer than usual, thoughtful and not demanding. They let silence overcome them for a few moments before Emma spoke again.

"It's nothing like the movie."

Regina was surprised by the comment, but she knew the Sheriff wasn't one to talk for long about feelings, so she shrugged her shoulders and replied. "I wouldn't know."

Emma gasped, startling Regina with the outburst.

"What now sheriff?"

"You're a fairy tale character and you haven't even seen _your_ movie." Emma stood from her chair and grabbed her keys.

"What on earth are you doing?" Regina asked, staring wide eyed at the blonde.

"I'll be like 10 minutes. I think we have it on DVD." She was half way out the door when she stopped and turned back.

"Something the matter dear?" Regina's eyebrow rose in question. She faltered slightly when Emma broke out into a grin.

"You have magic!"

"I thought we established that a long time ago. Although I suppose you _are_ your father's daughter. He too is a bit slow at catching on to things."

Emma ignored the dig. She unlocked the cell door; stepped through and pulled it shut it behind her.

"Ok. Go!" She said as she clambered onto the bed beside Regina who furrowed her brows and, not so subtly, edged away from Emma.

"Go where?" She asked.

"Go! Use magic! So we can watch the movie?" Emma waved her hands in front of them. "Come on. Poof a T.V right there." She said, pointing her finger.

"I promised Henry I wouldn't use magic."

Emma didn't miss the insecurity in the other woman's expression. The Sheriff felt guilt rise within her chest. She had stolen Regina's happiness when she had come to Storybrooke. In finding her own family, she had taken Regina's.

"You're not using it for bad." Emma offered, but even as she said it she knew it wouldn't be enough.

"I made a promise, I won't break it. I want my son to see I'm trying." Emma watched the brunette link her fingers together and place her hands in her lap.

"I understand." Emma almost reached out to place her hand on Regina's knee. She wanted more than anything to squeeze the woman's leg as a silent comfort.

"Well, boredom it is then." Emma fist pumped the air and smiled. She thought she saw a trace of a smile on the Mayor's lips but she knew that concept was far fetched. She watched Regina for a few moments before the question she had been longing to ask finally left her lips.

"What were you doing Regina?" She gulped, shocked by her own bluntness but eager for a response non-the less.

"I should think that fairly obvious Sheriff."

"You were drinking and screaming and crying. But why?" Regina made a noise somewhat similar to a snort.

"Obviously something must be terribly wrong. I keep feeling all these strange emotions: Hurt, betrayal, and loneliness. Gosh, one would think I had feelings! Like I'm human or something."

Emma scoffed, "Everyone knows you're human."

"Well no one treats me like it." Regina snapped. "No one ever has."

Emma observed the brunette. She was so small and vulnerable that it was hard to believe the death and destruction she had caused. But Emma always knew she was, without a doubt, human. She lent back against the cool cell wall and pulled the blankets up around her.

"Do you think I'm proud of who I am?" Regina asked when it became evident that Emma was at a loss for words. "Can you imagine how it feels to finally be free of someone who was the driving force behind all of your pain and suffering and feel even more broken because of it?" Emma watched as tears spilled from the Mayor's eyes. _Cora_, she thought and anger bubbled up in her chest. "Everyone I have ever loved has been killed by me or because of me, and if they're not dead they just hate me."

"Regina ..."

"No, Miss. Swan. Give me one reason as to why I shouldn't be a drunken mess stumbling around the streets if Storybrooke. Give me one reason as to why I should stop being a 'bitch', as you so eloquently put it." She drew in a deep breath. "Nothing will ever change Emma. I will always be the 'Evil Queen'. To my son, to the town, to _you_."

The Mayor's chest rose and fell as her breath came to her in short gasps. Her jaw was clenched and her face hard but it was obvious she was trying to steel herself from the next onslaught of tears that had already begun to spill from her eyes.

Emma lent forward and cautiously reached out her hand. When Regina didn't flinch she used the pad of her thumb to brush away the salty liquid that stained the brunettes pink cheeks.

"No Regina. Not to me. _Never_ to me." She whispered.

She leant forward to rest her forehead against Regina's.

"I think I'm still drunk Emma." There was a hint of a smile and Emma's heart pounded at the sight.

"I know you're still drunk Regina." She nudged her nose against the brunettes.

"And how do you know?" Regina brought her hand up to rest on Emma's cheek.

"Because you called me Emma." It was said with such awe that Regina couldn't help but laugh softly.

"Oh no, I must be seriously intoxicated to have let that slip." She patted the blonde's cheek softly and pulled away.

"You're also more open about your feelings." Emma's lips turned up at the corners as she spoke.

"Definitely drunk."

Regina pulled off her jacket and threw it in the corner of the room. She watched it land beside her handbag and her lone stiletto.

"Those were expensive shoes." She pouted.

"Maybe the other one will turn up."

"I'm not Cinderella Miss. Swan. Prince charming will not come knocking on my door with my stiletto in hand."

"I don't think Mary Margaret would approve of David doing such a thing."

They shared a laugh.

"I like you drunk." Emma said with a friendly smile.

"I'm sure you do Miss. Swan. I'm sure you do."


	2. Chapter 2

Regina awoke the following morning to find the cell door unlocked and a post-it note stuck to one of the bars.

**Feel free to 'make your own way home' Madame Mayor. I'm sure you're 'more than capable', even with your bare feet.**

_She's mocking me! _Regina realised. It was like a slap in the face on a cold day. The shock rippled through her and she stared warily at the note. _No one mocks me! _

She could imagine Emma's face as she wrote those words, a cheeky grin on her lips and a mischievous sparkle in her eyes. She shook herself off and decided this time she'll let it go. As far as she's concerned, forgetting last night ever happened is her best course of action.

She stared down at her toes and wiggled them. _Well, they're _definitely_ bare_, she acknowledged with a bite to her bottom lip. She took in a deep breath and straightened up her shoulders.

_Bare foot or not, I'm still a Queen. _

She strode confidently from the cell but when she reached the door to the Sheriff's office she discovered another note and this one began with a messily drawn smiley face.

**There are spare shoes in the bottom draw of my desk. Didn't think I'd let you walk all the way home without shoes did you? **

Before she could stop herself she felt her lips quirk up into a smile that vanished as quickly as it appeared. She snatched the note from the door and ripped it in half. _I must still be drunk!_

She made her way over to Emma's desk and forced herself to ignore the hordes of paperwork that the Sheriff still had not completed. _That damn woman!_

She pulled open the draw and was greeted with one final post-it note.

**Is now a good time to tell you these shoes belong to Snow White? Or should I keep that detail a secret? **

She snatched up the shoes and slammed the draw shut. All who witnessed the Mayor storm down the streets of Storybrooke that morning trembled with fear. Except for Emma, who watched from the safety of Granny's with a large grin on her face.

**SQ **

Henry was spending the day with his 'grandparents'. Regina scoffed at the title. _How do they always get everything they want? _She asked herself. _My kingdom, my son… _

Perhaps she was just too talented and intelligent, maybe that's her biggest fault? After all, if idiots like Snow and Charming can thrive in every situation then the world must truly favour inferiority.

_I'm just a threat, _she conceded with a wicked smile, _a threat to the powers that be. _

Her smile dropped along with her stomach._A threat that drank herself into a stupor last night. _ She blushed at the memory. She was more than embarrassed about her behavior (at least the parts she can remember). She thanked the Gods that it was Emma that found her because, despite the pest that her son's birth mother managed to be, she knew Emma wasn't quick to judge.

Her phone buzzed and she pulled it from her pocket. She was surprised to see Emma's name blinking on her screen…Well, she was surprised to see 'Spawn of Snow White' blinking on her screen. But it's all the same to her.

**Did you end up making it home? **

She rolled her eyes. The sheriff is too much like her mother at times, always _worried_ about everyone.

_Of course I made it home Miss. Swan. I'm not incompetent. _

She hoped she sounded annoyed because she _was_ annoyed by this waste of her time. Never the less she held on to her phone and awaited a response.

**Just making sure you didn't run into any trouble.**

In her fairy-tale days she would have cackled at the comment. The noise would have echoed through the castle, bouncing off of the walls and frightening all the children. But now, standing barefoot in her kitchen, she settled for her evil smirk.

_I'm the Evil Queen, Sheriff, no one gives me trouble, remember? _

**Yes but you **_**are**_** considerably less intimidating without your high heels. And in Snow's shoes? I'm surprised you didn't start vomiting rainbows on your journey home. **

Regina scowled at her phone. _I'm always intimidating_, she told herself, _always_. She glanced at Snow's hideous shoes and shuddered at the thought of having to wear them. They were ghastly. Pink with little bows. It was as if Emma had chosen them to deliberately humiliate her.

Her phone buzzed again.

**Does sober Regina still think I'm funny? Or should I save my wit for when you're drunk? **

Regina saw this for what it was: the Sheriff's insecurity. She knew the blonde was testing the waters, attempting to redefine their relationship after they had strayed so far from custom the previous night. She couldn't let Emma get too comfortable though.

_Wit Miss. Swan? Wit requires intellect and your petty attempts at humor do not comply. _

_There. This banter is normal. _She smiled confidently; _that should put the sheriff back in her place_.

But when no response came she felt herself at a loss. She placed her phone down on the kitchen counter and turned to her handbag. She pulled out her lone shoe and inspected it. The red velvet texture was marred by the brown splotches that decorated its surface, and the toe was scuffed to the point where the black underneath was showing through.

She hovered over the bin with the shoe in hand. Just as she began to loosen her hold her phone buzzed once more.

**:P**

_Damn this infuriating woman! _She threw the shoe on the floor beside the bin and stormed upstairs.

**SQ**

It was gone eight when there was a knock at the door. She stared down at her attire. Tracksuit pants and a singlet top. She couldn't be seen in this!

Deciding to ignore whomever it was, she settled back into the sofa and continued to read. But the knocking persisted and she bit her lip nervously. _What if something has happened to Henry? _

"Regina, hurry up and open the door."

_Miss. Swan. _

She approached the door and cracked it open, making sure her body was hidden from the view of the Sheriff.

Emma stood before her, clad in her usual jeans and a singlet. She smiled a friendly smile and Regina found her body warming at the sight.

"What do you want?" She couldn't help the defensive tone that seeped into her voice.

"Just let us in."

Regina raised her eyebrows, "Us?"

That was when she saw him, her son, peeking his head around Emma.

"Hi mom!" He greeted with a wave. Without hesitation she swung the door open.

"Henry!" She wrapped her son up in her arms. "I've missed you."

"Mom, you only saw me yesterday." He was too old for hugs, or so he had told them. But that didn't stop Regina and Emma from trying. He returned her embrace with a defeated sigh.

"Jeez kid, you must have some super power. She wouldn't even open the door for me."

Regina thought she heard a slight edge to the Sheriff's voice, like her less than warm greeting genuinely hurt the blonde.

"I even brought popcorn." Emma said, lifting up the bag with a pout.

It was then that Regina noticed the DVD that Emma had in her hand. Snow White.

_As if I don't see enough of Snow White in real life, now they want me to see her on my TV as well._

Emma sensed Regina's hesitation so she pushed herself through the front door.

"You don't have a choice." She told the Mayor.

Regina was about to protest when she noticed the Sheriffs eyes trail down the length of her body.

"You answer the door in your underwear, Miss. Swan, so don't you dare make judgment."

Emma's eyes snapped up to Regina's. Her lips pulled at the corners and she wiggled her eyebrows.

"I wasn't judging Regina. Just… Appreciating."

Emma followed Henry into the lounge room, leaving the shocked Mayor by the door still floundering for a comeback.

**SQ**

"I'm going to hurl." Regina's mouth twisted as she took in the scene before her.

"Stop being so dramatic."

"Everyone should thank this subpar depiction of me for trying to spare others the pain of dealing with such an insufferable female." She waved of her hands in the air to exaggerate her distaste.

Emma laughed, "You're just jealous. You wish you were the fairest of them all." She said as she shoved a handful of popcorn in her mouth.

Regina found herself oddly comfortable with this arrangement. She had faltered only momentarily before squashing herself between the arm of the lounge and her son who patted the space beside him eagerly. Emma was on his other side and Regina could tell from the grin that lit his face that he was enjoying being around both his mothers at once.

So she had overcome her pride and hesitancy and decided to just _go with it. _

She now alternated between stroking her son's hair and rubbing her hand up and down his arm. Every so often he would look up and smile at her and she could feel her heart melting at the sight. She hated those moments when she just _had_ to release him to cross her arms over her chest and glare at the fictional character that tottered around before her. _Such an unrealistic portrayal of the entire situation! _

_No, no, no…_ "That didn't even happen!" She cried, turning to her son and his birth mother.

Emma and Henry shared a laugh at her expense. _Fools. _

She rolled her eyes but managed to bite back any comments that came to mind.

By the time the credits were rolling Henry was sound asleep, sprawled out on top of them both. Emma glanced over, smiling at Regina for what felt like the hundredth time that night.

"I'll take him to bed."The blonde said tentatively. Regina nodded and watched her son and his birth mother disappear up the stairs.

Regina busied herself by picking up all the popcorn pieces. She knew immediately where her son got his messiness from and it certainly wasn't from her.

"I think we need to stop feeding the kid." Emma said as she hopped down the stairs. "He is frigin heavy."

"He's a growing boy Miss. Swan. Though if he continues to eat like you let him, he'll be growing quite a lot."

Emma blushed, a guilty individual if Regina had ever seen one.

"Thanks for tonight," Emma said, hoping to avoid any awkward silence that could develop between them.

"It wasn't completely horrible." _I may have had fun. _She crossed her arms over her chest but managed to form half smile for the Sheriff.

"I suppose I should…" Emma gestured towards the door.

_Yes, you should. _"You don't have to just yet." _What was that? _"I mean it's still early." _No it's not. _

Regina saw an uncertainty in the blonde's eyes and mentally kicked herself. She felt like such a fool. Why would the blonde want to spend more time with her? She let emotions guide her and just look where she landed- right in the middle of a situation that was more uncomfortable than Charming's tight pants.

"Perhaps we can have some of your cider?" Regina's head snapped up but she quickly hid her surprise.

"Trying to get me drunk again are you Sheriff?"

"I wouldn't dream of it Madame Mayor."

_Don't let her get one up on you. _Regina tilted her head up, raising her nose in the air much like she often did as the 'Evil Queen'. _I'm confident. I'm excellent. I'm Regina Mills. _

"Perhaps we should just stick to a warm drink tonight." She turned to grab two cups from the cupboard.

"Can I have a hot chocolate?" The voice came from directly behind her and the mayor jumped in fright. It was then that she felt warmth along the length of her back. Another body. _Emma's body. _

"Sorry." Emma whispered. _Don't be sorry. _She thought as she drew in a shaky breath. To her surprise the blonde showed no sign of backing away. Instead she moved closer, leaning her chin on the mayor's shoulder.

"It's strange seeing this Domestic Regina."

_A good strange? _She wanted to ask but she settled for a silent nod. She didn't trust her voice.

"Hopefully your hot chocolate is as tasty as your lasagne." The words were whispered in her ear and her body tingled all over. _Get a grip. _She ducked away from the Sheriff and wandered toward the fridge.

"Umm… do you want…" _Think. _"Yogurt!" She pulled it from the shelf and held it up toward the Sheriff. Regina could see the other woman was confused and she momentarily contemplated smashing her head against the fridge door repeatedly as punishment for being such an idiot. It wouldn't be much stranger than her behaviour at the moment anyway.

"Sure, I like yogurt."

She stood glued to the floor as Emma approached her. She watched as the blonde reached out and took the yogurt from her, allowing their fingers to brush against each other momentarily.

Their eyes met and Regina's breath caught in her throat. Her heart pounded and her hair rose.

_I'm sick. I have a fever. Gods please let me have a fever. _

She could swear the Sheriff was leaning closer but she wasn't sure. Perhaps because her eyes were focused on the other woman's lips so intently that a giant could trample down her house and she wouldn't even notice. Her eyes fluttered shut and she swayed forward.

"Regina?" She heard Emma's voice. It was soft and smooth. She could feel the other woman's breath on her face. She bit her lip. _Don't do this, _her mind screamed. But she really wasn't sure what it was that she wasn't meant to be doing. _Escape plan. _

"Coffee!" She screeched suddenly. Her eyes shot open just in time to witness the Sheriff stumble back. "Our coffee is getting cold."

She saw Emma's skin pale. Her hands clench. Her shoulders fall.

"I have to go." _I knew you would. _

Regina watched the Sheriff bolt for the door. She paused to throw an awkward wave in the Mayor's direction. But then she was gone and Regina was left wondering, not for the first time that night, what the hell was going on.

* * *

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